Ahead of the 2024 holiday season, UK retailers, including Lush, Uniqlo and Gymshark faced criticism for hiring freelance shop workers through gig economy apps like YoungOnes and Temper. The Trade Union Congress raised concerns that classifying workers as self-employed denied them key employment rights including minimum wage, sick pay, and protection from unfair dismissal.

Following the criticism, several companies, such as Uniqlo, Lush and Gymshark, have announced that they would stop hiring freelance workers via gig evonomy apps. Uniqlo stated that it had briefly trialled the Temper app but now hires directly to ensure fair treatment. Lush confirmed minimal use of such apps and ruled out future recruitment through them. Gymshark declined to comment but is reportedly no longer using the apps.